A Tale of Will Cipher
by MysticFire348
Summary: My take on Reverse Falls! Human Bill/Will. Will Cipher is the dream demon slave of the Gleeful family; Mabel, Dipper, and their Great Uncle Ford. But everything changes, with the arrival of Pacifica Southeast and her best friend, Gideon Pines. Rated T because Reverse Falls is typically darker then the original GF.
1. Episode 1

"Day Dream Demon"

Will tried to walk as quickly as he could down the grand stairs of the Gleeful mansion. He had been in this human physical form for a while now, but it still took some getting used to. Besides, with only one eye, his depth perception was terrible. He really had to watch and be alert so he wouldn't trip down the stairs again. He held the broom and dustpan awkwardly in one arm, with a death grip on the rail with the other, and focused on putting each foot on the correct step in front of him.

He reached the last step and took a breath of relief—he made it. He let go of the dust pan, but before it could fall, with a wave of his hand, he caught it with him magic and lowered it to the ground. He hummed quietly as he began to seep the downstairs main rooms. It would take a while, but he didn't mind. Chores like this gave him time to think, and hum, and look out windows when nobody was looking, and wonder what it was like outside today, was it nice or a little warm, are the birds singing—"

"Cipher, what are you doing?" A sharp voice whipped out. Will cringed and almost dropped his broom.

"Just sweeping, Mistress," he answered meekly.

"No you weren't, you were just standing there, staring off again. Look at me, and don't you dare lie!" Will reluctantly turned to face his mistress. She was about his height, but she wore bright blue stilettos, which made her seem taller. They almost made her look much older than her 12 years. But then, the incredulity short skirt, black leggings and tight shirt over her chest also made her look more like 16 then 12 years old. It was her eyes though, that really made her look aged. They were brilliant deep blue, and they would have been beautiful, but you couldn't miss the cruelty in them. They were hard and cold, more so than any gem that could have been compared to them. "Answer me!" she snapped.

"I was just thinking, Mistress. I'm sorry I stopped my work, I'll get right—"

Mabel, for that was the girl's name, laughed cruelly. "You, thinking? I didn't think you had it in you." Will didn't know what was a safe response to that, so he kept his mouth shut. With a toss of her head, she flung her waist length hair back. "Does Grunkle Ford need you anytime this afternoon?"

"No, Mistress, I'm just supposed to clean until your show later. Do you need me to do something?"

"Yes," she drawled, "I was supposed to go out with Candy and Grenda, but their families are making them go do some family bonding time. Some lame fishing thing. I don't want to tag along, and I can't go by myself."

"Oh," Will's eyes and voice perked up. "You want me to go with you? Mistress, it will be such fun—"

Mabel's laugh cut him off. "You should see your face, so hopeful and happy. It's pathetic." She reached out and bopped him on the end of his slightly turned up nose, causing him to wince. "No, you idiot, I don't want to go fishing. Can you imagine me, in this outfit," she paused and gestured to herself, "going fishing?" She continued before he could come up with an answer. "Don't worry though; we can still get some bonding time in." Will began to have a sinking feeling in his stomach. "I need to practice my knife throwing skills, and I need someone," she leaned menacingly forward and that sinking felling was definitely there now, "to be the target."

Will gripped his broom tightly with both hands. "Mistress," he began with suddenly dry lips, "I have to clean the house. Headmaster Ford will—"

"Will get over, the house not being free of dust bunnies for a day." She reached out and slid two of her fingers underneath the bright blue manacle he wore around his wrist. "Come along; let's go play."

"But I still need to wash all the windows, mop, do the laundry—"

"Cipher," she let go of his manacle and rubbed her first two fingers against her thumb. "Do I need to snap my fingers?" She asked darkly.

Will lowered his eyes and absently rubbed at the chains links on both of his wrists. "No, Mistress."

"Then obey me, and come on." She spun around and started down the hallway for the stairs leading to the basement. With a resigned sigh, Will followed.

Will was trying his best to be as still as possible, but it was really hard to keep completely still when someone is throwing knifes at you. Particularly if that person is using a hand mirror to throw them backward over her shoulder. "You are shaking too much, hold still!" she ordered for what had to be the fifth time.

"I'm trying, but your knives are getting really close. That last one clipped my hair."

"That's the point, you stupid demon. I want to get as close to your stupid face as possible. Now shut your stupid mouth, and for the last time hold still, or I will _make_ you be still. Understand!?"

"Yes, Mistress." Will closed his eyes and leaned back against the wall, bracing himself. He had an assortment of knifes around his head but no blood had been drawn yet. Will really wanted to keep it that way. He heard the sounds of her motion as she wound up and threw. But unfortunately, he opened his eye to measure its trajectory, and saw that it was slightly off. With a shriek, he dodged out of the way.

"Will!" Mabel swirled around, furious. "You deliberately moved! What have I told you about that?"

"But, Mistress, the knife. It would have hit me."

"Then you stand there and take it!" She screeched. She breathed heavily for a moment, fists clenched and staring daggers at him. "You will be punished for your disobedience. Come here." She reached up and touched the jewel embedded in her headband. As it started to glow, she waved her hands in front of her body and a small rod appeared between her hands. It was about ten centimeters long and about one centimeter across. As Will slowly approached her, he couldn't help but be a little impressed at her skill. Sure, he could do magic too, but she was much better at it than he was. And her brother…well, he was in a whole different league. He stopped moving though, when her blue flames crept out of her palms and into the rod turning it red hot. "I said, 'come here'." Maple didn't take her eyes off the rod as she focused.

"Mistress, please, I'm sorry. I promise I won't disobey you again. Please, Mistress, have mercy, I didn't mean to move." It felt like his mouth had a mind of its own, he couldn't stop talking. He couldn't move either; all he could do was stare and the now glowing red hot rod in growing dread.

Without looking at him, Mabel snapped her fingers. Will fell a sharp, shearing pain on both wrists from his chains, and he yelled as they jerked him forward the rest of the way to stand before his angry capturer. "Please, please, please, Mistress, I'm sorry. Please forgive me, I'm sorry, so sorry—"

"Hold out your hands. Palms up." Her voice as flat and completely devoid of emotion besides fury.

"Mistress, please, I beg you. I'm sorry I'm stupid and forgetful and slow. Please, I'll do better—"

She snapped her fingers again and his hands were jerked up, to her desired height. "Flip your palms over."

Trembling, he did as she commanded. "Mistress—Mistress, please—please don't. He could feel tears sliding down his face, but he didn't care. His voice was somewhere close to undignified groveling and begging, but that also didn't matter right now.

"Hold them out flat."

"Mistress, please—please don't, I'm sorry; please stop, I'm sorry." He closed his eyes at the last second and braced himself.

The pain was terrible. He screamed and his knees buckled, dropping him to the floor. The only thing that was still supported him was the chains still holding his palms up. He screamed and pressed his eyes against his arm, trying to brace against the pain in his palms. After what felt like forever to him, the chains allowed his hands to fall, also allowing him to slump against the cold floor. He curled up on his side and brought his hands up to his face.

His palms were terrible; blistering, black and red marks covered them. He couldn't move his fingers at all. He brought his painful hands up t his face, and taking a deep breath, got ready to flow his healing power on them.

"Did I say you could heel them?" Her voice was cold as ice.

Will was having trouble thinking through the pain. "No, Mistress, but my hands..."

"This might help drill it home that you always obey me. Always obey me, no matter what." She reached down, and with a flash of her blade, nicked him on the ear. "There, see? Your disobedience got you nothing. Well, nothing but pain."

"Yes, Mistress," Will murmured. He was having a really hard time following her words. He felt something shift in the air around him though. Not so much in the physical plane, but on the magical side. It felt kind of like a vibration though the magic around him.

Mabel felt it too. "Perfect timing; Grunkle Ford wants you. You better go."

With much difficulty, Will focused and turned his inner eye to where he knew Headmaster Ford would be in the study. Teleportation was difficult anyway, but in his condition, it was much harder. With as little as effort as possible, he allowed himself to fall through his hole in reality to the study.

Will crashed onto his side as he fell though. He lay, there trying to push through the pain. It felt like it was getting worse. The cold floor of the underground study felt nice against his cheek, and just laying there for the rest of the afternoon felt like a good idea. He was vaguely aware of someone calling his name, but it was so hard to focus through the roaring in his ears, so he just laid there. He gradually realized that a pair of nice, expensive dress shoes came into his field of vision on the floor and the deep, sophisticated voice familiar. "Good blazes, what have they done now."

Will felt himself shifted over, and his head was propped up on something. He tried to resist when he felt his wrists being lifted up, out of fear of being in more pain. "Stop it, Cipher." The voice commanded and Will instantly obeyed. It wasn't just the tone and shear will behind that voice, but he had obeyed that voice for so long now he felt like it was second nature to submit. He heard the voice grunt in disapproval. "Why haven't you regenerated your hands yet?"

"Wouldn't let me," mumbled Will. He wasn't sure if it was coherent or not.

He heard the voice make a sound of disapproval deep in his throat. Will felt something press against his palm, but before he could react to it, he felt the warm, soothing power of healing flow into it. Will breathed easy and relaxed. For the moment at least, he was not in danger.

Once the first hand was done, the same thing happened to the other one. As he was healed, Will opened his eye to take stock of precisely where he was. He felt a shock as he realized he was leaning against his Headmaster's leg, with his Headmaster crouching over him. He quickly dropped his eye from looking at his Headmaster's face. Headmaster was very firm that a dream demon should never take the initiative to look in his master's eyes without permission. Instead he focused on the six-fingered gloved hand pressed up against his, healing it. When that was done, he felt his head tilted to one side. "She got your ear too? What is she thinking?"

Will signed in satisfaction as his ear was healed as well. With a wave of the gloved hand, the blood in his hair and dripping down his face disappeared in puff of blue smoke. Will felt his chin grabbed, and his face was turned from one side to the other, to check for anymore damage. "Are you harmed anywhere else?"

"No, Headmaster."

"Good."

As the hand removed itself from Will's face, Will reached out and quickly brought it to his lips, lightly kissing it. "Thank you, Headmaster. I appreciate your kindness in—"

He was cut off as the hand flicked him hard in the mouth. "Don't be weak, Cipher. 'Kindness' has nothing to do with it. You can't help me with my research if you are about to pass out from pain on the floor. The leg Will was leaning against suddenly moved, causing Will to almost bang his head on the floor. "Now come along; we have much to do."

"Yes, Headmaster." Will scrambled to his feet and meekly followed him to the work bench.

* * *

Author's Note

 _Shipping:_ I don't write with the intention to ship anyone with anyone else. I know Will/Dipper and Will/Ford ships are a major part of Reverse Falls, but that's not really my thing. Because of this, I write so the relationship between them can be seen as platonic, but still a little on the 'shippy' side. So if Will/Dipper and Will/Ford ships are your thing, hopefully this will still satisfy you.

Welcome to my first 'real' fanfiction! I have had this idea for Reverse Falls in my head for about 6 months now, and even have the most of the entire first season mapped out. I worked on this on and off, with the intention of putting it up 'sometime' in the future. Well, I realize now that if I ever want to actually finish this, I need some kind of accountability. So even though this is nowhere near perfect, I'm going to go ahead and put it up.

That being said, I would really, really appreciate reviews. Partly, because I see this as practice for my writing. So if anyone sees any typos, grammar mistakes, confusing sentence structure, ect. please tell me. Hey, even if you just have writing advice, I'll take it.  
Also, like I said earlier, I need accountability. I am aiming to update about once every week or two. But it really is motivating to know people are actually reading and enjoying this.

Thanks in advance for reading this, and double thanks for any likes, favorites, follows, and reviews!


	2. Episode 2

Chapter 2

"The Magician's Great Nephew (and Niece)"

"And now, ladies and gentlemen, for the main event!" Mabel's voice boomed throughout the tent, causing the large audience to cheer and clap. Their butler wheeled out a large box with the twins' telekinesis symbol on the front. "For this last trick, we shall need a volunteer!" The audience screamed, everyone waving their hands around. _Master and Mistress certainly have their pick of prey tonight_ , mused Will as he watched from the side behind a curtain. He was there mainly to help with 'special effects' and to move props, even if he wasn't really ever supposed to be on stage. The twins didn't want people to notice him. It was almost sad how excited everyone was, eagerly wanting to be the one chosen by the twins. "You, Ma'am!" Mabel said with a dramatic flourish, picking out one individual. The lady picked beamed and made her way to the stage.

"Don't mess up, Cipher." Will jumped; he hadn't heard Master come up next to him. Will looked at his Master Dipper, and even though they were the same height, he still felt much smaller.

"No, Master, I won't let you down."

"You had better not." Master adjusted the dark gloves on his hands. He looked like the boy version of his twin sister. He had thick brown hair, but it was brushed off his forehead, exposing the big dipper-shaped constellation mark on his forehead. Will had wondered at first if anyone had teased him for it, but then he had realized that no one would dare. While Mistress's blue eyes were hard and cruel, Master's burned with sharp intelligence. He was brilliant and cunning and on his way to be a fine magician like his great uncle. He already planned on being the next great magician, and heaven help anyone who stood in his way. "Don't forgot, we can make your existence miserable if you displease us." And with that cheery reminder, he twirled around, causing his cape to fan out behind him as he walked back on stage, beaming smile and eyes for the audience. The lady smiled at Master as he walked up on stage.

"Thank you for volunteering, my good lady." Master took her hand and bowed over it, the perfect gentleman. The lady giggled at his antics. "What might your name be?"

"Oh, it's Kristin," she smiled down at him. "What a polite little boy."

Will winced. Master hated being called little or referred to as young. This would put Master in a bad mood later. To his credit, Master kept up the charming façade without hesitation. "Thank you, Ma'am," he gestured to the box. "As you can see, there is nothing behind the box, no trap door under the box, and no hidden compartment inside the box." He gestured to each area as he talked. "Would you like to inspect it yourself?"

The lady smiled as she walked around it, examining the edges, and even measured it with her arms. She finally admitted that it was a normal box.

"Of course it is," Mistress smiled. She placed a finger on her cheek charmingly. "You don't think we would lie, do you?"

The audience laughed and cried that no, the perfect little Gleeful Twins would never do anything so naughty.

Master gestured to the entrance, "Ma'am, if you would be so kind, please step into the box." The lady stepped into without hesitation, clearly taken in by the adorable twins. "Now, don't you worry; nothing is going to happen to you." He shut the door and swung around back to the audience with a dramatic spin. "Now, ladies and gentlemen, we will make this lovely lady…" he paused for effect, "disappear!"

The audience clapped delightedly. "Please." Master held up both his hands. "This is actually quite dangerous, and requires total concentration. So please, good sirs and ladies, for the sake of Miss Kristin, be absolutely quiet." It worked, and the audience waited in silent anticipation of the trick. Master and Mistress stood on opposite sides in front of the box, facing each other. Master got a nod from Mistress that she was ready, and he looked past her to Will, eyes narrowing. Will crouched down, hands held ready, and nodded back. The twins begin to chant in Latin, and wave their arms about dramatically. The chanting and arm-waving was useless fluff, but Will knew exactly what he was looking for. At the same time Master and Mistress brushed their finger against their amulets, Master's in his tie and Mistress's in her headband, activating their stronger magic. Once they did that, they both threw out their arms in front of them, causing blue smoke to cloud the box from view. The smoke was literally a smoke screen though, as the true magic did something much more complicated.

Teleporting someone through time and space to a different location is very hard and dangerous, even if you are a gifted telekinesis individual. It makes it a lot safer though if a dream demon accompanies whatever you throw at the same time. The difference is as if you spun around until you were dizzy and then tossed a package as hard as you could, compared to having the post man deliver it to wherever you wanted it to end up. Needless to say, the package has no say in either choice.

"What—what happened? Where am I?" Miss Kristin sat up and looked around the room in shock.

"You were part of the Gleeful Twins Tent of Telepathy show," Will said kindly. "You were transported here by their minds."

"Why—that's amazing." The amazement left her eyes though as she gradually took in her surroundings. The floor, walls, and ceiling were all dark colored, with little light to see by. But what little light there was reflected off the assortment of knifes, daggers, and other weapons lined up on neat rows on the walls. You also couldn't miss the hospital operating table in the center of the room. "Where am I?"

"I'm afraid I can't tell you that," Will sad sadly. "Will you please accompany me over here?" He led her over to the table. As she followed him, they pasted several carts holding various vials of liquid as well as other creepy instruments and tools that looked like they came out of a fantasy video game.

Will motioned to the table. "Please sit up here." The subjects for his Masters' magic experiments and rituals rarely hopped up on the table of their own accord, but it was worth a shot.

"Just—just a second," Miss Kristin stuttered. "I didn't know about this. I only wanted to help out the adorable little magic twins."

"Oh, don't worry, you are." Will signed. Clearly, she would not be cooperating anymore. He snapped his fingers, and she instantly fell asleep. He caught her with his magic though, before she could faceplant into the floor and as gently as he could, laid her on her back on the table.

He began to arrange the various vials and tools the twins would need. He very carefully went over to Master's workbench and reverently picked up Master's textbook to magic and his other resource; a leather bound Journal with a number 2 written on the cover. Both were written by Headmaster, and both were precious to the twins, but to Master in particular. He was the more advanced of the two. He devoured as much knowledge about magic and the magical creatures of Gravity Falls as he could. He had already learned as much as he could from Journal 1, and so Headmaster had given him Journal 2. Headmaster had hidden the Journal 3 somewhere in the woods, so Master would only be able to find it once he had discovered all of the secrets of Journal 2.

He had just finished setting up, when he heard the twins coming down the stars. They had already changed into more practical outfits, mainly dark old clothes. Mistress had pulled her hair up and back, while master had slicked his hair back as well. Will stepped back to see if they needed anything else. Master's eyes slid calculating over all the assembled materials, missing nothing. He then made a shooing motion with his hand at Will, before starting up some magic discussion with his twin. Will hurriedly left the room, so they could practice whatever magical experiment, spell, or ritual that they needed to. He preferred to not be there when they got started.

Will went back to cleaning around the big house. There were always chores to do, but none really pressing. It was getting late, but dream demons didn't sleep, and besides the twins would need him to clean up after they were through. He could leave the house, but the twins didn't really like that, so there was no point in risking their wrath. Besides, if Headmaster needed him while he was gone and he missed his call, he would be sure to get into trouble when he came back.

And he would always have to come back. He rubbed the shackles on his wrist absently. They were pretty loose, but he couldn't remove them, not even with magic. They were permanently hooked around his wrists. Not only did they keep him available to the twins' beck and call, but they also could be used to inflict punishments on him if the twins desired. The chains also kept him bound to this dimension, and he could not return to the Daydream realm with them on. He was stuck in this mortal world until the twins freed him, which to be honest, seemed like it was a long time away.

He had been serving Headmaster for close to 30 years now, but Headmaster would let him go back and forth between worlds. It was the twins who invented the idea of chains that could bind a dream demon and imprison him. Combining the knowledge they had learned from Headmaster and applying some of their own ideas, they came up with the proper spell to manage it. Will hadn't even realized what was happening until it was too late.

He walked to the window, and tilting his head back, he could make out some of the stars. He loved the stars; they looked kind of similar to the ones from his home dimension. Although, these only shone in one color, while the ones back home had shimmered brightly in all the colors of this world's rainbows and in some colors that did not exist in this dimension. Too soon though, he heard the twins coming back up the stairs. Will didn't wait for their call, and went ahead and teleported to their side. They twins didn't even blink at his sudden appearance.

"Was it successful, Master?" Will inquired.

"Yes, it was most rewarding," Master yawned. "You know what to do. After you finish cleaning everything, be sure to leave the message for the butler."

"Yes Master," Will nodded his head and headed downstairs. Once he entered the magic study, he could size up the damage.

Oh, there was damage alright. In addition to the three filled vials of Kristin's blood, blood was all over the operating table and over her as well. What area of the table that was not covered by blood was covered in runes and symbols. Will glanced over some of them, and interpreting their meaning, shuddered. _Poor Kirstin_ , he mused as he laid a hand on her body. He took a deep cleansing breath, and allowed his healing power to flow into her body. Some of the other dream demons had made fun of how much time he had 'wasted' practicing his healing art, instead of something more menacing like dream manipulation or possession. Laugh all they want, he was a top notch healer now. Repairing her physical body wasn't hard and didn't take long. And within a matter of minutes, and just a few spells of his own, the room was spotless and clean just as it was before. Not came the really difficult part.

He closed his eyes and allowed himself to slip inside of her conscious. It was one of the unique abilities of a dream demon, to be able to enter another person's mind and interfere with their dreams. They could also steal memories and possess someone as well, but that was a lot harder and much more complicated. He didn't need to still memories today though, just alter them.

Everyone has some kind of Mindscape, a place where all of their memories, important information, hopes, dreams, and fears that make up a person are housed. Everyone has a different looking house because of it; some have a castle, others have a cabin, once he found one that was just an igloo. The building will reflect back on the personality of the person. So Will just stared in shock as he took it in.

 _Oh my. Well, it was kinda cute, I guess, by human standards._ It looked like a nice cottage, complete with white picket fence and blue shutters. But this one looked like a hurricane, tidal wave, and hailstorm had decided to do a threesome tango in it. Will sighed; he had told the twins to be careful, you never know how magic can affect someone in their mind. Did they listen to him though? Of course not.

Will signed again as he approached the house. He floated over the lopsided picket fence, snapping his fingers and causing the boards to realign. As he entered the doorway he touched the frame, causing the door to mend and attach back on his hinges. He continued like that throughout the whole house. It was time consuming, but very rewarding as well. There was nothing like looking around at someone's mind, and realizing you had a helping hand in putting it back into working order. Really, if you have never done that, you simply can't imagine it.

Now for the last thing, Will headed over to the section titled "Short Term" memories. It might also be in "Trauma" and "Deep Psychological Fears", so he would have to check both. Thankfully, it was housed in the short term memories.

The human mind is amazingly complicated and can handle a great many things. Some of the things that cause problems though are things that it can't understand, and things that are traumatic. Unfortunately, the twins are both. Thankfully, the human mind will reject things or alter things, to make it less scary and more understandable, so it was already meeting him halfway as he went to work. _Did you really just appear in a creepy basement? Of course not, you just fell backwards through the curtain out back. Why didn't you see it as you walked around the box? Elaborate illusions with mirrors. Once you were backstage, a nice boy took you somewhere to wait for the twins. You all sat down and had a lovely chat over tea, and then you went home. The twins are delightful and pleasant. The best kids you have ever seen. They are perfect little angles._ Will thought for a moment, once he had finished the script the twins had given him. The twins didn't tell him to do anything else, but they didn't forbid it either. And he had already seen her memories. _And you should break up with Fred. You can do better._ Pulling out, he felt his physical form solidify around him.

He never really got used to it. It made him feel heavy and sluggish, particularly after being in someone's Mindscape. He picked up a blanket from where he stored them and gently draped it over her now peaceful sleeping form. He went to the stairs and pulled down a clipboard. _She rode to the show with friends so it won't be problem. Take to her house so she can wake up there._ He wrote the address underneath it. He hung it back up and started up the stars. He glanced up at the clock— _oh good, only a few more hours until everyone is up_ — as he made his way to the second floor rooms, where most of the bedrooms where located. The twins shared the suite at the end of the hall. He turned transparent, so he could pass though the wall without opening the door, and then solidified.

He was in the main room of the suite with one bedroom jutting off on each side. The main room was joint study, playroom, living room, and dream demon prison. Stuck off to the side against one wall as a five pointed star painted on the floor, about two meters wide with his summoning symbols painted around it. Rising from the floor was what looked like iron bars, but they were much worse. They were magic iron, made that not even dream demons could pass in and out. Overall, it looked like a really weird bird cage. Which was pretty much how it felt too. With a sigh, he passed through the open door and shut it behind him, locking it. He had considered staying out longer. But the Master always seemed to know somehow, and it simply wasn't worth the pain. He curled up on his side, and making his finger ablaze in blue flame, began to write in the air, so he could play tic-tac-toe against himself. It wasn't the most fun game, but at least it was doing something.

He wasn't sure how long he amused himself by doing that. He supposed he could meditate or practice seeing the future or something but he just really didn't want to. His present was really bleak right now, and there was no point in looking to the future just to see more bleakness. _It could always be worse_ , he thought to himself, as he lost—won?—the game. _At least humans only live about 85 years or so. So I only have about 75 years left. It's not that long for an immortal dream demon. It will be fine. Who knows, maybe in a couple thousand years, I can look back on this and laugh._ Will raised his hand to start a new game, and felt the chain fall back on his wrist. _Or not._

Will heard the door to the suite open at preciously at 8:10 later that morning. The Butler came in, expressionless like always, and deposited a steaming tray of the twins' breakfast on the table. With hardly a glance at Will, he left. Will heard the door to Master's room open at precisely 8:17. With a sizzle, his latest game fizzled out and he sat up. Master was alert but still looked a little sluggish. He was dressed in his blue pajamas, his silk navy robe hanging loosely off his shoulders. His eyes quickly flew about the room, taking in the details. He then went straight to the breakfast tray and got his cup of black coffee. He picked up a bowl of oatmeal and the newspaper and began to eat, not waiting for his sister.

Will waited silently. Master was always in a foul mood before his coffee so it was best to wait. Mistress finally opened her door at 8:48, but unlike her brother, she was already dressed, complete with make up and fabulously done hair. She went over to the tray and picked her French vanilla latte and her own oatmeal and sat next to Dipper.

"Your coffee is cold," Dipper commented without looking up.

"I like it like this. You are the one who likes to scald his throat every morning." She responded with a delicate sip of her own. "Anything interesting in the news?"

"Naw, same old same old. Boring." He scanned farther down.

Mable sighed as she picked at her oatmeal. "I guess that's to be expected. Well, at least we won't have anything to distract us from practicing."

"I want to do a little more research before we use the new blood in anything."

Mable gave a dramatic groan. "You always want to research everything to death, Brother Dear! Haven't you ever just wanted to try something, just to see what would happen?"

"Not with magic. That's a good way to blow up your house. If you want to try, go ahead. But you explain to Great Uncle Ford why his house is gone." Dipper stood up and took one piece of toast off the tray. "I'll be back in a few." He went back to his room.

Mable sighed again and pulling out her phone, began to scroll through her contacts. Maybe Candy and Grenda would be available to do something. Absently, she glanced over at Will. He was sitting cross legged on the floor, watching her with just a hint of hopefulness in his expression. _Oh, well, might as well throw him a bone_ , she thought. With a snap of her fingers, the door to the cage unlocked and swung open.

"Thank you, Mistress," he said, gratitude evident in his voice. He scrambled up and came to stand behind her chair, like the good little trained dog he was. She motioned for him to come stand next to her chair. She saw him scoot around so he was in her vision. She ran a critical eye over his appearance.

A servant will reflect back on his master, good or bad, Dipper had told her before. The nerd had probably read it somewhere. Well, her demon pet did look sharp. He was dressed in a collared, long sleeved light blue shirt with a black bow tie. He wore a black vest over it, and it matched his dress pants. He wore light blue sneakers to match his shirt. He was short: Dipper insisted that he would not allow him to be taller than him. They had considered making him shorter, but the usefulness of a really short demon was limited. In the end, they settled on making him their height. His facial features were pleasing, not that he would care, but Mable wanted an eye candy servant as he would have to occasionally accompany her out in public. His eye was easily his most striking feature, large and open, and surrounded by thick black lashes. It allowed the twins to read his emotions easier than a book. But then, that was the whole point of making him have this semi-physical human form, because it allowed him to show his emotions of fear and terror better. It was too bad that he only had the one eye, but the eye patch did help add an element of mystery to him, so it didn't take away anything. His hair was odd, it hung down in a shaggy mess, partly covering the patch but the odd thing was its color. It was light blue, the exact same shade as his eye. That was something that had just happened, and at the time, they didn't realize how much work it would be to change it later on so they just left it the way it was. Once you got used to the odd color, it wasn't bad. It helped lend exoticness to him.

She finished her oatmeal and motioned for him to take it. He took it and began to stack the other dishes on the tray. She sipped her coffee absently while he worked. Maybe she shouldn't call Grenda and Candy today. She should make them suffer for ditching her yesterday. Although, it wasn't really their fault, but that was no excuse. Ditching was still ditching. But if she didn't call them, what would she do today?"

"Does Gruncle Ford need you today?" She asked, not bothering to look at him.

"Yes, he said to come down at 9:15 to work on the equations for the new portal." She glanced at the clock. Ugh, it was too close. "Go ahead and take the dishes down on your way out."

"Yes Mistress." He gathered up the tray and headed out.

* * *

Will sat in Headmaster's study on the floor, and shuffled through the notes. He scanned them all briefly, committing them to memory. He glanced up when he had finished. Headmaster was reading a book on quantum mechanics, while he absently drank his tea. Headmaster insisted on his tea having exactly 1.5 tablespoons of sugar in it. Will organized the notes and laid them on the table next to Headmaster's elbow. Will picked up a notebook full of complicated equations about interdimensional physics. Headmaster was trying to see how to keep the portal from collapsing. It was a repeating problem. Sure building the first portal had only taken 6 years, but building a stable portal is a bit harder. What was the point of traveling across dimensions if reality will just be torn apart? Hence, lots of work, studying, research, and trial and error to get it right. It also didn't help that they no longer had Fiddleford to help build the thing, and Headmaster had the twins to keep an eye on.

"Great Uncle Ford," Will turned at the sound Master's voice. Master was trying his best to remain calm and collected in his great uncle's presence, but Will had been here long enough to recognize the excitement in Master's voice and mannerisms. "I was looking over the energy associated with mind manipulation, and I think I found a connection between the energy of electromagnetic pulses of the brain activity and corresponding energy found in channeling the thermokinetic energy in blood."

"Really, Dipper? Let me have a look at it." Headmaster put down his book and held out his hand for it. Master eagerly laid his notebook in his hand. Headmaster looked over them for a minute, and Dipper waited nervously. "Interesting," he finally murmured. He turned and handed them lazily to Will. "What do you think, Will."

Will took the notes and scanned over them, noting the complex equations Master had neatly transcribed. After studying them for a few seconds, he realized something. "The change in enthalpy is off by .0002 K for human blood. Based on that, the rest of the equation is flawed. You wouldn't be able to compensate for it, based on your measurements. It might be possible though if—"

"Maybe your calculations are wrong," blurted out Master, as he snatched his notebook away. "You looked at them for practically no time at all." Now that Will was not looking at the notes, he could see the expression on Master's face: slightly flushed cheeks, his voice clipped with anger. All in all, it did not look like it would be well for him later on.

"Dipper, what have I told you about arguing with Will about your homework?" Headmaster picked up his book again, losing interest in his great-nephew. "He is an immortal dream demon; if he says it won't work, then it won't. Don't waste time fighting with him about it."

"But he is stupid and useless," Dipper, his pride hurt and upset about being dismissed from his great-uncle so easily, was being more emotional than normal.

This 'stupid and useless dream demon,' Headmaster said icily, "is information incarnate. He is ages old, and he has seen and heard much. All that information is stored in there," he lightly rapped Will in the center of his forehead with his book causing him to wince. "Will knows things, he just doesn't know it. It's all jumbled together in there, with no rhyme or reason to it."

Master paused. "So kind of like a computer you have forgotten to defrag. It slows down until it is barely running. All of the information is trapped behind that idiotic personality."

"Yes," agreed Headmaster. "It's as if all the pieces of 100 different puzzles are all mixed together, and you forgot what each one is supposed to look like. It takes a while to make any progress."

Will felt a little insulted by the conversation, but that was no surprise. Headmaster was brilliant and prideful, and Master was on his way to copying him. He did know that hanging on to details was hard for him. But then, what was the point? All things change anyway.

Both of them turned and looked at him "Can you imagine, Dipper," Headmaster said, "Seeing what he has seen? Knowing what he must know? All the secrets of the universe, locked away in there. So much raw information." Will shuddered at how both of them were looking at him: it reminded him of a predator watching his prey as he stalked forward to devour it.

Headmaster turned back to Master. "Now continue with your studies. Come back when you have something to show me."

"Yes, Great Uncle Ford." Dipper turned and left, a little subdued but he didn't seem angry anymore, so that was good. Headmaster went back to his book. Will went back to the equations but couldn't really focus on them. After a few pointless minutes, he stopped.

"Headmaster?"

"Yes?"

"May I ask you a question?"

Headmaster gave a mild snort of amusement. "You may ask two questions, because you already asked one."

Will paused having to think through that, and Headmaster continued. "What is it, Will?"

"What will you do, once we finish the portal? I mean, will you still need me?"

"Oh, I'm sure I will always need you," Headmaster replied without looking up from his book. Even though his voice sounded the same, it suddenly reminded Will of a cat's purr.

"Oh." Will paused for a moment. "What will happen though, if you learn all you can from me? What will happen if I am no longer useful to you?"

Now Headmaster put down the book and learning forward, slipped one of his gloved hands beneath Will's chin, forcing Will to look him straight in the eye. It made Will uncomfortable, being stared down by those intelligent eyes. "I want to have your full attention, Will." Headmaster said darkly. "Do I have it?" Will felt the air start to dance and charge around him, making the hairs on his arm stand up.

"Yes, Headmaster," Will managed to say with difficulty as his head was being pushed back.

"Good, now listen very carefully, because I don't want you to ever forget it." Each word was steel, punctuated by the magical charge in the air. "It would be in your best interest to always be needed by me. You are another source of information to me, like the many books I collect. What happens, Will, when a book is no longer useful to me?"

"You throw it out."

"No, Will, I cast it out. I throw it in the trash, to rot and decay for as long as its form remains, with all the other trash I deem useless. It will go to a place of filth and decay, unheard of and not cared for by everyone, until no one could even recognize it. And even then no one will care, what has happened to it, because everyone knows that book with its knowledge spent is just a waste of matter at that point." Headmaster's eyes narrowed. "So, tell me, dear Will, how long do you think you will be useful to me?"

"Many, many years, Headmaster," Will said around horribly dry lips. He wasn't sure how Headmaster would accomplish that to a dream demon, but a few years ago, he didn't think he could be bound to the physical world by chains either. Or that he could be so damaged by a magical fight that it would leave him permanently blind and scarred in one eye. He knew that it was best to not challenge the Gleeful family.

"I'm very glad to hear it, Will." Headmaster smiled and Will shuddered. Headmaster turned his hand and ran his thumb down the side of Will's face. "I would miss you," he said with almost affection. "Now, get back to work, my precious dream demon."

"Yes, Headmaster." Will turned back to the equations and found that he still could not really focus on them.

* * *

 **Author's Notes**

 _ **Tent of Telepathy Show:** I know in some versions of RF, the twins really do kill people as part of the show. I have a problem with this, because if you do it over and over, eventually SOMEONE will notice that people are disappearing. Even with the memory gun and the level of stupidity of the residents of GF, it creates too many problems. I decided the using Will to alter memories was a decent solution._

 _ **Will's appearance** : There are many different versions of Will in his human form. I just made up one that would be close to a Bill cosplay. The only difference in clothes is the shirt color and the top hat is missing. I made the shoes different, because I thought he would not care as much as GF Bill about appearance. Also, I will probably cosplay Will at some point in the future, and I wanted to wear comfortable shoes (you are welcome, fellow cosplayers). _

**_As always thank you for taking the time to read all this! This one is up a little bit later than I hoped, but it is really long by my standards. Hopefully, I can get the next one up in the next week or two. I appreciate all the views, likes, favorites, and follows! If anyone has any writing advice, questions, or just wants to be an encouragement, please send me a review! All feedback, good and bad, is appreciated as I strive to be a better writer. Thanks!_**


	3. Episode 3, part 1

Chapter 3

"Heir today, Gone Tomorrow"

Part 1

The rest of the week went pretty uneventful for Will. The twins were busy with their own amusements. Dipper was busy with his magical studies, and Mabel was making her rounds, being the most popular girl in town. Headmaster managed to keep him busy though. Whenever he wasn't working on the portal, he was kept busy cleaning around the house. At night he helped the twins with their show. These times though, they did not need any type of victim. They kept the shows going as an outlet to practice their quite real magic tricks. Will also suspected that they drank in the praise and applause as well. All in all, it was a pretty uneventful time. Until one evening…

Will glanced around the curtain, to steal a glimpse of the audience. It was the same assortment of fans from town and tourists. Everyone seemed awed and delighted by the twin's antics on the stage. Well, everyone except one person. Will pulled back the curtain just a bit to see clearer. He was sitting there, looking skeptical. He had his hands hidden in the pocket of his light blue vest over his long sleeved black hoodie, and he wore grey shorts. He had a blue and white baseball cap with pulled down low over his eyes, with his white hair hanging out in a shaggy mess.

Well, that was to be expected. People came to see the show that didn't believe in magic and looked for evidence that is was just smoke and mirrors. What they refused to believe is that magic is very real.

Will didn't think much more about it, until he was cleaning up after the show. He was winding up the cords and wires for the lights, which he had to do by hand because the twins didn't want anyone to see him do magic.

"Hey, home slice! How's it hangin'?" Will jumped and turned around. It wasn't that he was he wasn't used to being addressed, but the voice was way too loud, and the unusual expression caught him off guard. If it was possible to shock a dream demon, this girl was doing it. She was wearing some kind of crazy patterned leggings tucked into her boots, underneath her black shorts. She was wearing an orange shirt under her red crop too, with the words "Como se llama?" written on it, with a large googly-eyed llama head underneath it. She had to have had about two dozen colored rubber bands on each arm and big gaudy rings on most of her fingers. She had her hair pulled up into a high ponytail, with glitter hairs clips stuck in it randomly. All the different colors and patterns made Will's eye burn, so he came up with the most intellect response he could muster at the moment.

"Huh?"

"I said 'Hey, home slice! How's it hangin'?" She gave him a second, than clarified. "How you doing?"

"Um, fine, I guess." Will was starting to feel nervous; he wasn't really supposed to talk to anyone, and this girl was way too loud and gaudy. "Do you need something?"

"Naw. Just to say 'hey'." She took a sip from the Pitt Cola in her hand, and then stuck out her hand. "I'm Pacifica Southeast. Pleased to meet you."

Will, horrified, took a step back. "You would shake my hand? Just like that?"

The girl looked confused, "Um, yes."

"Don't you know how dangerous that is?"

"Pacifica, are you freakin out some poor boy again?" Will's gaze looked over her shoulder to see a young boy coming up behind her. It was the skeptical boy from the audience. He was short and had an upturned nose, so he looked quite a bit younger then the girl. He had a guarded look in his eyes, though that didn't match his young looking face.

Pacifica had taken back her hand and turned to the boy. "No, I wasn't freaking him out. Just making friends." The boy looked up at Will.

"Hi, my name is Gideon Pines." Now that he was closer and in the light, Will could see the symbol on his hat clearly; a pine tree. Will glanced back and forth between the two kids. A pine tree and a llama…

Oh. _Oh._ He realized with one of his rare moments of revelation of the future. _It's them._

"Hey, are you ok?" Will realized that both of them were staring at him in concern. The boy was speaking." You don't look so good."

"The circle is almost complete again," Will murmured.

"Cipher, what is taking so long," Master's voice interrupted Will's shock. He came around the corner looking miffed, but the second he saw Pacifica and Gideon he slapped on his professional showman smile. "Well, hi there! Did you enjoy the show?"

"Oh, yes!" gushed Pacifica. "I loved it, it was so cool! I really liked your card tricks, where you made all the cards fly around you—that was totally rad." She waved her arms around her head, spilling soda everywhere, as if her words weren't enough to express how 'rad' it was.

"Ya, it was pretty cool," admitted Gideon. "How'd ya do it?"

"Gideon!" Pacifica gasped. "I told you; you can't ask that! It would ruin the fun!"

"Everyone knows it's just all tricks and illusions," Gideon insisted. "So how'd ya do it? Clear wires? Hidden Mirrors? Fans?"

"Your friend is right, it wouldn't be fun if we told you," a voice called sweetly. Will turned to see Mistress coming up as well, practically dripping sweetness. "Why don't you come again, and see if you can figure it out?"

"Maybe, I will." Gideon pushed back his cap a little bit, exposing blue eyes way too serious and intense for a young kid.

Mabel giggled and, reaching out, touched Gideon on the check. "You're cute. And your accent is adorable." Dipper rolled his eyes at his sister's flirting. Frowning, Gideon pulled the cap back down and stepped closer to Pacifica.

"Anyway, we need to finish packing up. So if you don't mind…?" Dipper left it open ended, hoping they would take the hint. Which they did.

"We'll let you get back to work," Pacifica slid her arm around her younger companion. "See you later?"

"Yes!" Mabel grasped Gideon's hand and pulling a pen from somewhere on her outfit, wrote something in his palm. "Here is our address. You should come by sometime and see us. Wouldn't that be nice?"

"Um, yes, I guess," stammered Gideon trying to pull his hand away.

"What are you doing tomorrow?"

"Helping out at Pacifica's aunt and uncle's shop, the Wonder Hut, but—"

"The Southeasts are your aunt and uncle?" Dipper looked in interest at Pacifica now. Will could understand why. The Southeasts and Gleefuls had been on bad terms for a while now.

"Yeppers." Pacific beamed, not picking up on Will's unease. "We are staying with them the whole summer. We are helping out part time at the Hut."

"Well, if it's only part, then you will be free in the evenings. Which works better for you, five o'clock or 6 o'clock?"

"Hang on, I didn't say—"

"You don't have to worry about a ride. We will send the limo over." Will saw Pacifica's eyes widen in delight.

"But, we—"

"Five o'clock is great!" Pacifica interjected. "We will be ready. We don't want to keep you, so we better go now. Bye!" She spun Gideon around before he could voice objection, and pushed him ahead of her.

"Why did you do that?" Dipper asked his sister as soon as they were out of earshot.

"Several reasons." Mabel held up a finger as she listed her reasons. "First, they are new in town, and an unknown quality is a dangerous quality as Grunkle always says. Second, they are staying at the Wonder Hut, and you _know_ how beneficial it would be if we had someone on the inside. And Third, we have nothing to do tomorrow anyway and now we do."

"You left off your most important reason." Dipper imitated a high pitched impersonation of his sister. "That Gideon boy is soooooo cute!"

"Mabel snorted and rolled her eyes. "Not really, but all boys are easy won over with flattery. He will be no different." Mabel turned to Will now, eyes narrowing. "You aren't off the hook either. What did you tell them?"

"Nothing, Mistress. I swear it!" he added hastily when he saw his capturer's eyes narrow.

"That was an awful fast answer, wouldn't you agree, Dearest Sister?" Dipper brought his fingers up to his face and rubbed them ideally together.

"Indeed." Mabel stepped closer to gripped his chin roughly. She tilted his face to one side, and Will could already feel her blades carving designs into his face. "Don't be afraid, Pet," her tone had the silky tone of someone who is trying to be reassuring but failing miserably.

"Honestly, Mistress. I really didn't say anything. They didn't ask anything about you or Master or Headmaster."

"What were they asking about then?"

"Me." Will thought back to what the girl had said. "I think they wanted to be friends."

Dipper snorted and rolled his eyes. "Clearly, they know nothing then. They wouldn't come near you if they knew what you are." He turned his attention back to his sister. "Let him go, Sister Dear. We still need him to finish packing up, and I want to go home."

"Certainly, Brother Dear. She flicked Will's head up as she removed her hand from his face. She took her brother's hand as he came to stand next to her.

"Don't dawdle, Cipher," Dipper sighed, "I'm bored and want to go home. If you don't get this all picked up soon, I'll light your cage on fire," and with a twist of his wrist, a small blue flame appeared in palm, "with you in it."

"Yes, Master." Will could feel sweet gathering on his forehead. "I'll be done in 10 minutes."

Master hummed as he and Mabel walked past. "Make it eight," he called over his shoulder.

* * *

Will stood off to the side of the table next to Headmaster. He was serving him dinner, but him and him alone. Will never could figure out if Headmaster was extremely possessive or if he just liked to rub it in that Will technically belonged to him. Maybe it was his way of reminding the twins that he was sharing his dream demon property when he wasn't using him. Anyway, Will stood off to the side and removed Headmaster's dishes as he finished them, while the butler attended to Dipper and Mabel.

About halfway through the main course, Mabel turned excitedly to her Gunkle. "Grunkle Ford, we are having guests tomorrow for dinner."

Ford merely raised an eyebrow. "Really? What is the occasion?"

"It's those two new kids in town. They came to our magic show tonight, so we invited them to dinner."

"That's unusable for you two. You don't normally like to socialize with children your own age."

"Mabel left out the most important part." Dipper added with a sigh. "They are staying at the Wonder Hut. They are related to the Southeasts.

"Oh." Ford put down his fork. "That is interesting. I wonder if she will have told them yet."

"It seems doubtful. They inquired into how our magic was done," Dipper snorted. "They seemed to be under the impression that it was a fake."

"That's true," Mabel snickered. "They tried to make friends with, Cipher too."

"Is that so?" Ford lazily motioned Will forward. "Is that true, Will."

"Yes, Sir, I'm afraid so." Will was really hoping he was giving the most satisfying response. "We really didn't talk that long. They don't know anything about me, or us or anything."

"I should hope not, Will." Headmaster took a sip of his tea. "Can't have you spilling all our secrets to everyone who shows an interest. But that is beside the point, because they are living with Priscilla, it is only a matter of time before she tells them."

"Yes Sir." Will stepped back to his place, as Headmaster turned back to his great-niece and nephew. They continued discussing various aspects of their shows and magic. Will wondered how dinner would go tomorrow. He wondered if Priscilla Southeast would even allow her niece and her friend to go. There was a deep grudge between her and Headmaster. Either way, dinner would definitely prove to be interesting.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **Sorry this is so short by my standards. This whole chapter is about 6,000 words so I had to split it up.** **When I said I would try to update once a week, I didn't realize how long editing takes. If I'm going to keep updating good quality material I will have to update less. I felt like I was rushing through some material and I really want to enjoy this. So I will have to update about every 2-3 weeks now. Maybe sooner, but don't expect it too much. :)**

 **Pasifica Southeast: Yay, Pasifica is here! I'm going with the 90's enthusiast version, jut because I feel like I can have more fun with this. Also, I'm making Preston and Priscilla her aunt and uncle. I couldn't make my story plot fit with them being her parents. So, whatever, I changed it. :) Also I'm going to be changing the original GF story plot and backstory to make it work. I don't feel like this is a problem, because in a way, this puts a fresh spin on GF. Hopefully, it will make it more interesting for you as the reader, but, hey, let me know as this goes along what you think.**

 **Gideon** **Pines: Yay for liddle ol' Gideon! Writing in his accent is _hard,_ and I live in the south! Hopefully, it's not confusing, but if anyone has any questions, or suggestions on how to write it better, please tell me. **

**Also, WOW, thanks to everyone who is Following and Favorited this story! I never realized how much this means to a fanfiction author until now. I am so happy and grateful to have every single one of you :) :) :) As always, please review. All reviews, good and bad, are appreciated and help me to be a better writer. Thanks for your time!**


	4. Episode 3, part 2

Chapter 3

"Heir today, Gone Tomorrow"

Part 2

Will was in the kitchen finishing up dinner felt Dipper's magic pulse reach him, signaling that their guests had arrived. He knew he had maybe ten more minutes before he had to be there to serve the first course. Now that the butler was back from picking up Pacifica and Gideon, he would take over arranging the meals on the plates. Will had asked if he should not be present for dinner, but Headmaster had insisted that Will should still be there. After all, they had already seen Will anyway.

Will waited until he had heard the general murmur of voices in the dining room before he entered. Pacifica was sitting next to Gideon who was sitting on the left of Ford, at the head of the table. Dipper was sitting at his usual place on Ford's right and Mabel was next to him. Pacifica was excitedly chatting to Ford. It was clear to Will that the subtle, slightly hostile vibe underneath the twins smiles had not been picked up by her yet. Gideon on the other hand, seemed to sense that something was not quite right. He kept glancing around, as if he expected a monster to come walking around a corner. He didn't realize that the most dangerous monsters in Gravity Falls were already at the table. Pacifica was excited to be in the Gleeful mansion, and was doing her best to maintain pleasant conversation. Her eyes widen when she saw Will though.

"Oh, Will! Hi!" she cried happily. "Will you be joining us too?"

"Um, no," Will glanced Headmaster, wishing he would give him some kind of clue as to what he should say. He didn't want to get punished for anything later. Headmaster merely raised an eyebrow at him though.

"Oh, ok," Pacifica frowned. "But you do live here?"

"Yes, I do." Will stared at his shoes, wishing she wouldn't talk to him. He began to place the first course on the table. Human tended to get distracted by food, so maybe she wouldn't ask him anymore questions.

"So," Pacifica turned to look at him more directly. "Are you related to them," she nodded at the twins, "in some way?" Will's head jerked up, eyes wide in horror and a bright blush flaring on his cheeks. Before he could stutter some explanation, the twins burst out laughing.

"Him? Related to us?" Mabel gasped between fits of laughter.

"He's foster care." Dipper snickered as he wiped at his eyes.

"He was unwanted by everyone else, and he had nowhere to go. We don't need the money, obviously," Ford clarified, "but we did want to help." All three member of the Gleeful family gave Will the same smile. A smile that froze Will's blood, and turned his legs to stone. He had long ago associated that particular smile with pain and torment. He knew that the only escape was to find an excuse to be as far away as possible, for as long as possible, and hope they forgot about him. "Will stays here because he wants to be here. He knows that this is the best place for him."

"Besides," Mabel added with a hand placed under her chin. "He's likes it here. You're happy here, aren't you, Will?"

"Yes, of course." Will mumbled, staring very hard at his shoes.

"Why does he act like a servant?" Gideon's voice was quiet but Will could hear the firm control on it. Will was surprised, it sounded much older than a nine-year old.

"We all have chores. It's his turn this week." Mabel added with a toss of her hair.

"Oh, alright then." Pacifica smiled timidly at Will, before turning back to her host to make conversation. Will wasn't sure if she truly bought the Gleeful's lies or not, but clearly she was going take it at face value. Gideon was watching Will very closely, and looking much too aware for his age. Will stepped back so Ford was between them, and just focused on being as small and unobtrusive as possible.

"So, Pacifica and Gideon," Dipper asked about halfway though the meal. "How long have you two been living in this town, a week? Two? You like it here? Enjoy the scenery?" Mabel hid her snicker, behind her hand.

Pacifica snorted, and rolled her eyes. "Ya, I guess. What we see when we aren't being chased by gnomes and swamp monsters."

All three members of the Gleeful family froze. Ford recovered first. "You have seen the unusual things in this town?"

"Yes!" Pacifica rolled her eyes around. "Finally, I thought no one would ever ask! Gideon," she shoved him playfully, but he almost got knocked out of his chair. "has all of these notes and theories. He even found this crazy journal in the words."

For the second time, all three members of the Gleeful house froze. Will looked at Headmaster in shock. That journal was not supposed to be found—by anyone—except Master. How could this, this kid find it? Gideon was looking around nervously, like he expected someone to pounce. "Yes…" he said slowly, still gauging the emotions around him.

Pacifica seemed to be the only one, who was not aware of the mode of the room. "You have it with you don't you, Gideon? Show them."

"Um…" Gideon nervously bit his lip, and looked like he was about to bolt.

"Please," Ford said smoothly, and held out his hand. "I would very much like to see it."

Gideon looked at Ford's outstretched hand in amazement. He sucked in a quick breath in shock, and his eyes' flew back up to Ford's face. "You are the author?" He breathed in shock.

"Of the Journal? Quite possibility." Ford smiled kindly at Gideon. "Could I see it please? If it is what I think it is, I haven't seen it in a long time."

"Um ok then," Gideon slid a hand inside his vest and brought out the journal. It was the journal all right. Right down to the magnifying glass with it. The gold colored 6-fingered hand was on the cover, with the big 3 inked in the center. Ford smiled fondly and flipped through it.

Mabel smiled charmingly at Gideon. "Wow, Gideon, that's amazing. Where did you find it." Will saw her kick Dipper underneath the table. He looked like he was about to choke on his food. His face flushed and glared daggers at Gideon, hands clenched underneath the table.

"Um," I found in the woods, near the Hut." He was looking back and forth between the twins, trying to figure out what was going on. Even Pacifica was looking concerned, finally picking up that something was not right. "It was in a secret compartment near a tree."

"You found the gnome's weakness?" Ford's voice interjected in surprise.

"Yes. But that was more of Pacifica. She figured it out."

"Oh, stop it, Gid, you have discovered lots of things." Pacifica said brightly. "It's really come in handy the last few days."

"I see." Ford flipped to the last few pages. "You have made quite a bit of observations. You are very observant. How old are you?"

"I'm nine."

"Pretty smart for a kid. Handwriting is decent too," Ford mused as he went back to the Journal.

"You," Dipper paused as if the words physically pained him, "wrote. In. the. Journal."

"Yes." Gideon looked him square in the eye, eyes narrowing. "I found it, and there was no name in it, so I thought it was finder's keepers. But," he bit his lip uncertainly and looked at Ford. "I guess it belongs to you. Do you want it back?" He clearly didn't want to part with it.

"No, you can keep it. You clearly have been using it really well. Really well actually." For the first time, Gideon smiled— really smiled— at Ford. "But if you have any questions, be sure to ask me."

"Wow, really? I have soooo many questions!" and so the rest of the dinner was taken up with Gideon and Pacifica asking many questions to Ford. The rest of the dinner passed quickly, but Will noticed that Master in particular was very quiet.

After Gideon and Pacifica had left, Dipper finally voiced his opinion. "Great Uncle Ford, why did you let him keep the Journal? It was supposed to be mine!" Dipper finally demanded once they had left.

"First off, Dipper, I never promised that journal to you. I told you that you would find it, when you were ready. He found it first. He clearly has magic potential. The odds of him finding it just by chance are very remote. He clearly was drawn to it by magic, and he just didn't even realize it. It's amazing actually." Ford mused. "He is using his magic without even being aware of it. He has great potential."

"Why would you waste time on explaining things to him? We are already your apprentices and heirs?"

"I never promised you two were my heirs." Ice itself had more warmth then Ford's voice. "I said that this house, my magic heirlooms, Will," Will cringed at being mentioned in that tone, "will go to my strongest Magical apprentice." Ford calmly drank his tea. "I have had many apprentices over the years. While you two are my two strongest apprentices currently, but that doesn't mean others can't pass you by."

"But Grunkle Ford," Mabel wailed in protest, "We are your great niece and nephew!"

"That means nothing, Mabel." Ford's tone softened. "You two will always be my niece and nephew, but that may be all you are." He held up a six-fingered hand to stop anymore protest. "Enough. I have made my decision, and there will be no more discussion on it. If you two want to inherent everything, simply be my best apprentices."

"Yes, Great Uncle Ford." Dipper said, and Will could see the fire in his eyes. "We won't let you down."

"I'm sure you won't." Ford smiled fondly at them. "Goodnight to you both." After the twins left, Will moved closer to Ford. He noticed and raised an eyebrow. "What is it, Will?"

"Headmaster, can, I mean may," Will hastily corrected—Headmaster had a thing about proper grammar, stay in here for a while?"

"Why?"

Will fidgeted with his manacles. "I don't want to be around the twins for awhile," he murmured.

Headmaster chuckled. "Self-preservation, Will?" It didn't seem like a question, but more like a statement, so Will kept quiet. "Yes, you may stay in here for the evening. The twins aren't doing their show tonight, so they don't really need you."

"Thank you, Headmaster." Will went to one of the wall book shelves, making a duster appear in his hand. He wasn't sure if Headmaster really would leave everything to someone else. It was true Headmaster had had other apprentices over the years, but none were as talented as the twins. In fact, Will would be surprised if they didn't have a visitor from one of them tomorrow.

Will was not disappointed. "Hello, Pricilla." He greeted the middle-aged woman standing in the doorway. She looked about the same as he remembered. Her long light brown hair was tied back in a ponytail, and her eyes were a dark brown that matched Pacifica's. She was not in her prime anymore, but she was aging well. Will suddenly had a horrible vision of what could have been—of too wide lips, and horribly stretched out skin that looked like plastic. Will shuddered internally; at least it was just a possible outcome. She was dressed differently now though. She would dark grey shorts, with matching hiking boots, and a dark green t-shirt with the "Wonder Hut" blazed across it in black letters.

Pricilla eyes widen. "Will?"

"Um, yes, it's me." Will gave an awkward wave. "Hi."

"You have a physical form." It wasn't a questions, but Will still felt like he should answer.

"Yes, then twins gave it to me."

"So you are still just a lackey then, you haven't gained more power." Her eyes narrowed. "But you still help Stanford Gleeful."

"Yes," Will said miserably. "But I don't have a choice anymore, the twins—"

"You always have a choice, Will." She cut him off and pushed past him, clearly not interested anymore. "I'm not fighting with you about this again. I have come to fight with your master. Is his study still in the same place?" She didn't wait for an answer and walked with purpose to Headmaster's study.

She walked right up to Ford and placed her hands on her hips. "What do you think you are doing?"

Ford waited a few seconds before slowly closing his book, and looked up at her. "Is that how you great your old teacher, Pricilla? Tisc, tisic, I thought you had manners."

"Don't give me that, you old man, what game are you playing at?"

"Why the only game worth playing; Power." He gave her a creepy smile and he laced his hands together in front of himself.

Priscilla shook her head. "That's a stupid game, Ford. No one wins, and it destroys everything else. But that's not why I am here. I want you to leave my niece and her friend alone."

"I can't do that. You know how magic works; it is a two way street. Not only are they drawn to anything and everything magical, but everything will be drawn to them as well."

"Only if they study it. The more their power grows, so does the attraction of everything else center on them, like a bull-eye. I don't want that for them."

"You can't stop them from trying on their own."

"They won't get far. I'm not teaching them, and I don't want you to either." Ford merely raised an eyebrow. Will realized it too, she clearly didn't know that they had the Journal.

"As you wish, Priscilla. But I assume you have told them why you and I don't get along, so they know why they can't come?" When she didn't answer right away, Ford raised an eyebrow. "No? I'm surprised at you. How do you expect to explain to them why you don't like me, without telling they what our past is?"

"They will just have to trust me."

"Trust." Ford scoffed. "You don't have kids of your own so you don't understand. "

"I will protect them. I swear it."

"You also swore you would never step back into this mansion and look where you are now." With a glare, Priscilla spun around and left.

Dipper flipped through his Journal, scribbling down notes as fast as possible. He had no time to lose, he would learn everything he could, and go out and discover everything he could in the forest. He would learn everything faster, more complete, and overall just better then that Gideon. He would prove to Great Uncle Ford once and for all that _he_ was his best student, and his future would be secure. He and his sister—he glanced over at her absently, and paused when he noticed that she was writing something down, but not in a notebook but on a piece of stationary. "What are you doing, Mabel? Don't you know we have a lot of work to do?"

She didn't answer right away, but folded the letter and placed it in an envelope. Dipper noticed it was her best stationary, the one with the blue and gold trim. "I'm securing our future." She picked up her bottle of perfume and spayed it on the letter. "I'm inviting Gideon on a date."

Dipper had to stop and think just to process that statement. "What? Why?" He finally asked.

"Because, Brother Dear, if Grunkle does end up choosing him –and I admit it is a big if," she added hastily with a hand raised to halt any interruptions, "I want to make sure we still receive what is ours. Everything will go to Gideon and me, and by extension, you, Brother."

Dipper sat and thought it though. With his sister in a relationship with Gideon, she would serve as a distraction to him, allowing him to move along at a faster rate in his studies. Gideon would most likely confide in her as well, giving them an edge if they ever needed it. And in the worst case scenario, even though the thought of his twin being married to that little pig was atrocious, it did have benefits. They would still have ties to the mansion and everything in it. And who was to say they couldn't do away with the little upstart after they inherited anyway? "Very well, Sister. I see your point. I admit, I'm impressed. You normally aren't this logical and cold. Just don't actually fall in love with him."

Mabel rolled her eyes and stood up, the addressed letter in her hand. "Please. As if I could ever fall for that little runt. "

The next day found Will polishing like normal, that is until Dipper came up behind him and grabbed his collar "Listen, Cipher, we are going on a hike."

"What, really? Why?" Will asked suspiciously. It wasn't like Master to want to get fresh air and be one with nature.

"I," Dipper paused and took a deep breath as if the words pained him. "I need your help. If I'm to get ahead of Gideon, I going to need to learn everything I can about the magical creatures in the forest." He flipped open his journal. "It mentions something about demon caterpillars in here but there is not a lot of information about them. And sense you are a dream demon, they are mostly like similar to you."

"That's like saying that French fries and Frenchmen are the same, cause they both have word French in them," Will said slightly hurt. "Besides, isn't that cheating? I'm not really supposed to help you…"

"Oh, don't think of it as cheating. Think of it as 'helping'. Unofficially and secretly."

"I don't know…"

"Hmm, let me put it this way." Dipper thought for a moment. He couldn't mutilate Will in any obvious way, Great Uncle Ford would be sure to notice, and the demon would be sure tell on him. On the other hand, Cipher would most likely not just tell Grunkle without prompting, so the main idea was to keep it so Grunkle wouldn't even ask. "Alright if you don't help me, I'll…" he paused, looking at Cipher's big blue eye for inspiration, "make it so you can't see in color anymore."

It worked. Cipher's mouth dropped open and his eye widen in shock. "No, no, Master, Please!"

"Oh, yes." Dipper chuckled: the demon was so easily to manipulate. "I'll make it so you can hear in only in monotone too."

"No," Cipher breathed. "No, I'll help."

"Good boy. Let's go catch us a caterpillar."

Dipper didn't really like nature. It always seemed to get in his way and was incredibly hard to get from one place to another. It didn't help that his magic aura was pretty strong and attracted other magical creatures.

"Ugh, how do these things keep finding us," Dipper grumbled and waved his hand in front of his face to shoo the fairies away.

"It's your magic aura, Master." Cipher piped up calmly from floating above him. Dipper frowned up at him. His slave was forbidden from using magic where it might attract notice from the townspeople—they were as dumb as rocks, but there was no sense in attracting trouble—but it still annoyed him. But he seemed to trip over every piece of log, stick and rock on the forest floor, so it was less trouble to let him hover.

"What does my aura, have to do with it," Dipper grumbled moodily.

"They are attracted to it, and want to see what is causing it. It's rarer in humans anyway."

Dipper frowned again. "Why aren't you swarmed by them than. You are supposed to be all powerful and everything."

He frowned, confused. "I'm a dream demon. Nothing here would dare mess with me."

"You make it sound like you are something to be avoided," Dipper griped.

"Most of my species are. There was this one—he was crazy powerful." Will flipped upsides down and continued floating.

"Don't you mean very powerful?"

"No, he is powerfully crazy. Like not normal crazy. He's way," Will gestured above his head but sense he was floating upside down, he was motioning towards the forest floor. "way, way crazy."

"Why couldn't I have summoned him then," Dipper was in no mood to be comforted. "Instead I get stuck with you, a useless crybaby."

Will decided it wasn't worth the pain to smart off. He glided over a fallen log. He didn't want Dipper's foul mood to influence him. It wasn't often he was allowed out of the mansion, so he wanted to enjoy the outdoors as much as possible. Event though he was trapped in this world, it was amazing.

He began to sense something familiar. He glided over to shady area, at the edge of a meadow. The leaves provided shade for the moist ground, but the rocks in the meadow were warmed during the day. It looked like the perfect place to find some demon caterpillars. He floated above a few of the stones and it wasn't long till he found some.

They were small, only about 3 inches long and they were covered in reddish-brown fur. Currently they were curled up on their side in the sun, asleep. "Here are some, Master." Will called from where he floated.

"Hmmmm, good job, Cipher. I guess you aren't completely useless then." Will felt his chest swell with pride at his Master's praise, however begrudgingly it was given. He kept back and out of the way as his master knelt next to them. He began to sketch them in his Journal. His sketches were done quickly but efficiently. It was only a few minutes until he done.

"Is that all you needed, Master?" Will inquired when he finished.

"Don't be stupid, Cipher," Dipper snorted. "I have to make sure I know everything about them. This is to impress Great Uncle Ford, remember. I have to make sure I am thorough." With a tug at his gloves, Dipper pulled them off and, to Will's unease, reached out to touch one.

"Ummm, I don't know if that's a good idea. They can be feisty."

Master rolled his eyes, as he gently stroked one of the caterpillars curled on its side. The fur on the side was soft, and moved to his touch. The caterpillar stirred at his touch, stretching out and un-curling. It had a dozen or so little black pointy legs on its underside. Its antenna uncurled as well, rising up on the top of its head, looking like fuzzy triangle ears on its head. Sticking off of its face though was some long stiff hairs, and it wasn't until it stretched and yawned, allowing Dipper to see the fangs inside of its mouth that allowed Dipper to make the connection. _Oh,_ he thought, _it's a Cat-er-pillar._ He stroked it again, and felt it vibrate underneath his finger in a purr. He reached out and stroked all of them. "They are kind of cute."

"Yes…. but, Master, I wouldn't continue to touch them. They can be temperamental."

"Stop being a coward. They are caterpillars; what are they going to do?"

Well, Master clearly wasn't going to listen anymore. Will moved back to what he felt like was a safe distance. Which was about 15 feet straight up.

Dipper smiled as watched them crawl along on the rock. He flipped open his journal again and made a few more notes on their behavior. This was easy; soon he would be caught up to Gideon again. He gently toughed one again, watching as it arched its back into his touch. _They are kind of sweet_ , Dipper thought as he watched them.

In a flash though, the caterpillar he was stoking whorled around and bit him—hard—on the hand. "Ouch!" Dipper yelled as jerked his hand back. "That—why did it bite me? I didn't do anything to it!" He yelled at Will. "I was stroking it like I had been!"

"I said they were temperamental." Dipper turned to look up at Will, hearing how far his voice was above him and how far away he was.

"What are you doing?"

"Getting out of their range," Will answered calmly, watching the caterpillars. They were very moody, and they were upset with Master now. "Master, you need to get away."

Dipper just rolled his eyes again. "Really, Cipher, they are caterpillars. What are they going do?" He turned back to them.

And begin to have doubts to his statement. They were clearly upset about something now. Their fur was standing up on end, and they were growling and hissing. All of them were watching him, with their yellow cat eyes. They certainly looked aggressive. But again, they were still just caterpillars.

Then they attacked. With a very cat-like yawl all of them leaped straight up at his face, arms and legs. It startled him so much that he tumbled back, falling on flat on his back. He screamed as he felt their all of their tiny little legs digging in and scratching him. "Cipher! Get them off!" His voice had jumped up several octaves and he swiped at them. But the caterpillars were incredibility fast and agile, rebounding almost immediately from the ground when he knocked them off.

Well, crap. Will had no desire to tangle with them, but he knew better then to disobey Master. He dropped down next to Dipper, startling the caterpillars back at the appearance of a dream demon. He reached up and, without thinking about it, jerked the one clinging to Master's face straight off, causing a dozen parallel tiny scratches on Master's face. Master screamed, causing Will to wince and really hoping Master wouldn't remember latter. He pulled Master upright and pushed him forward into the woods. "Come on, we need to move."

Master did not need any encouragement. He took off at a dead run through the woods back to the Mansion. Will followed, but stayed behind to guard Mater's back. He flew backwards so he could watch to see if they were being chased. Which they were.

The caterpillars bounded after them, jumping up and down around the forest brush, moving much faster than one would have thought possible for their small size. But then again, they were Demon Cat-a- pillars. Will waited as they got near and then, levitating up a huge drop of water from a passing stream hurled it at them. The caterpillars screamed in protest as they were drenched and stopped following.

Master didn't stop running until they were safely back at the mansion. He stopped outside, panting and out of breath. He tried to gain his composure before going inside. What would his great uncle think if he found out his nephew just fled from a bunch of caterpillars.

He turned to glare at Will. "Did you know they were like that?"

"I tried to warn you." Will said in surprise. With a timid finger, he reached out and touched Master on the cheek, healing him.

Master shook his head. "You never said they were demon cat-er-pillars."

"You didn't ask." Will dropped to the ground to stand on his feet. He looked at Dipper innocently.

Dipper opened his mouth, then just shut it and shook his head. Will was hopeless, absolutely hopeless. "You aren't helping me anymore. You're unreliable." He jerked up the door and went inside. He was done with exploring for the day.

Will sighed as he followed him inside but allowed himself a small, self-satisfied smile. _Good._

* * *

 **AN: The Plot thickens! I know that the plot is deviating from the original, but some things just don't work the same. Like, the Author of the Journals was such a secret, because he was stuck in another dimension. Ford didn't try to hide the fact from Dipper when he came back. So I saw no reason for Ford to hide it from Gideon. Hopefully this will keep the story interesting.**

 **Priscilla Southeast: I changed her appearance, because she looks terrifying in the show. Besides, she isn't rich and famous in this AU, so she wouldn't try so hard to stay 'perfect'. Don't worry, backstory on her and Ford will be given as the story goes.**

 **Demon Caterpillars: This is one of the few things we know is included in Journal 2. Unless Alex Hirsch does more then he intends with this show right now (knock on wood), we might never know more about them. Based on the other creatures we see in the show and in the book form of Journal 3, Demon Cat-er-pillers seemed like a pretty logical guess. Part of the reason I like this AU is because I get to have fun guessing at what Journal 2 contains, as well as adding other magical creatures. So if anyone has any ideas for magical creatures or adventures for the twins, I would love to hear them! No promises on how many or how much I can include, but I love this AU because it is many created by fans working together. :)**

 **As always, thanks to everyone who is Following and Favorited this story! Please review! All reviews, good and bad, are appreciated and help me to be a better writer. Thanks for your time!**


	5. Episode 4

Chapter 4

"All's Fair in Love and War"

Will stopped by the laundry room to get the clothes, before heading up to the twins' rooms to put it away. Hearing Mabel muttering in her room, he timidly peeked in. She was fussing in front of a mirror, messing with her hair. She saw him in her mirror though, and turned to him. She was wearing a dark blue skirt covered in rhinestones with a light blue blouse. She continued to wear her headband though. "What do you think, Will? How do I look?"

Will felt his stomach drop. It had been three years, but he still didn't know what the safe answer to that question was. He wasn't human, so he wasn't sure what was considered attractive to their species. They all had the same number of limbs and heads, just in different colors and proportions. For the existence of him, he couldn't figure out what made one size, length, or color made them more or less attractive. Besides, what their culture deemed as "beautiful" changed constantly, so that was no help.

"Um, shiny?" He heard Dipper snort in amusement in the next room. Mabel sighed, and muttered something about useless dream demons before turning back to her mirror.

Dipper walked into her room. He had removed his torn cape and was rolling up his sleeves. He came to stand next to her in front of the mirror. "Don't mind him, you look very pretty. What are you getting all dressed up for?" He touched his amulet with one hand and focused, healing the remaining cuts on his hands and arms.

"While you were gone, I got a Gideon to agree to go on "one little ol' date'." She smiled happily into the mirror. She finally noticed what Dipper was doing though and raised an eyebrow. "What happened to you?"

"Don't want to talk about it. But you mean you are actually going out with that little upstart?"

"We talked about this. It's for the greater good." She sighed like a martyr. "Sacrifices have to be made." She turned and left the room. Will stepped out of her way as she passed him by. He felt sorry for Gideon; he had no idea what he was getting into.

Will thought the rest of the afternoon would be very uneventful, but he was wrong. His peace and quiet was shattered by forceful banging on the front door. He went to answer it, and seeing who it was through the peephole, stayed back, allowing to slam open.

"Ford!" Priscilla's shout carried through the whole mansion. "What did I tell you about keeping your family away from mine?" She stormed into the study with righteous indignation, cape billowing behind.

"What did I say about you not being able to keep your children away from mine?" Ford inquired back when she stood before him. He was leaning over his table working on some experiment. He paused to glance up at Will though. "Go make us some tea, Will. Chamomile, I would say." He shot a pointed look at Priscilla. "Someone needs to calm down."

"Don't tell me to calm down! I'm against this all the way." She reached over and flipped his book closed, demanding his attention.

"Come now, Priscilla. Do you think you can stand in the way of young love?"

"Don't you give me that garbage."

"Seriously then, think it through, Priscilla. Don't you think we should stop this senseless fighting and join forces so to say?" He paused as Will came up with the cups of tea on a tray. "It would be better for both of us."

Priscilla took the tea Will handed her and absently took a sip of it. She glared over top of it at him though. "No." She said firmly. "I told you before, I'm not helping you. And you aren't going to use my niece and her friend to do it either. This dating thing ends now." She slammed her tea on the table and stormed out.

Ford sighed as he drank his. "She is making this much harder for herself then it needs to be, he murmured.

Priscilla must not have been able to break them up, though because Mabel went on another date with Gideon the very next day. But something was wrong, As Will was washing the windows, he heard Mabel muttering and pacing in her room. "Somethings wrong, I don't know what to do. It's not working like normal. He doesn't seem impressed by anything I do, and he keeps trying to get out of dates."

"What's the problem?" Dipper called from where he was lounging the main room. "I thought you were 'irresistible.'"

Mabel glared at him from her room. "Some days, I really hate you, Bro-bro," she said darkly, it just sounding creepy when she used her old nickname for him. "Besides, I'm doing it for us."

She suddenly turned to Will. "Make him fall in love with me!" She demanded.

Will jumped, startled. "What, Mistress?" He wasn't stalling, he was just really confused.

"I know you have been helping Dipper with his studies, so help me know." She ignored Dipper's cries of protest. "Make him fall in love with me."

"I—I can't do that, Mistress," Will stuttered in fear. "That's not something a dream demon can do."

"Calm down, Mabel." Dipper soothed her. "Maybe it's for the best."

"Don't give me that. It's a matter of pride now. He has to fall in love with me." She paused and started to tap her finger to her lip thinking. "Maybe it's that girl he's staying with. Maybe they are a couple?"

Dipper wrinkled his nose in disdain. "I don't think her aunt would let them stay there is they were. That's kinda weird. Besides, he is only nine. He might just be too young." Dipper shrugged, no longer caring. "Well, you have a date tonight. Maybe you can work something out then."

Unfortunately, Mabel came back way too early for it to be a successful date. She raced up to her room and threw herself on her bed. "He broke up with me!" The wail carried through the pillow she was crying into. "I can't believe it, he broke up with me! This has never happened before." Dipper awkwardly came in and sat on the bed next to her.

"What did he say?" he inquired.

"Nothing, he didn't even show. His friend Pacifica told me." Mabel sniffed and wiped her nose on her sleeve. "She must be talking him out of it or something." Mabel's eyes darkened. "She must have done something. Yes. It has to be her." Mabel narrowed her red-rimmed eyes from crying. "Pacifica Southeast," she intoned, "you don't know what you've done." she reached up to touch her jewel in her headband. "You just made the biggest mistake in your life!"

Dipper sighed. He didn't think so, but once his sister got something in her head, there was little chance of changing her mind. He might as well go along with it and try to keep it as contained as possible. "Do you have something in mind?"

"Oh, I have something in mind, alright." She turned suddenly to Will, "And I will need your help."

* * *

"Hello, is this the Southeast resonance?" Will tried to keep his voice steady as he spoke into the phone.

"Sure is," Will could hear Pacifica's chipper energy through the old phone line. "Who is this?"

"This is the Society of 90's Lovers. We heard that you were somewhat of an expert on all things 90's."

"Well, I don't know about—who am I kidding, ya, I kinda am." Her laugh came through the static in the line. "Why?"

"We found some old 90's merchandise from a TV show, and we wanted to get your opinion on it. We are—"

"Really? That's so cool! What show is it?" She asked excitedly.

Will's mouth dropped open and he looked up at Mistress's and Master's faces for help. Mabel raised an eyebrow at Dipper, who merely shrugged in response.

"Hello? Anyone there? Hello?"

"Um you know…that one." Will pleaded for the twins to help him with his eye. Mistress suddenly whipped out her pen and notebook and wrote something done. She held it up for Will to see. "The one—oh, _Rangers Rescue_? It's that one."

Will was cut short by Pacifica's excited scream. He winced and held it away from his ear. "Yes, yes yes! Where are you?!"

Will held up the address the twins had already written down for him. "412 Gopher Road. At 7 O'clock."

"I'll be there!" Will head the click of the telephone, so he hung up a well. He looked back up at the twins hesitantly. That ended well, but he wasn't sure how they would take his errors.

Mistress gave him a cold smile. "Well, that was perfect, Cipher." Even though it was a complement, it didn't make him feel any better. "It's up to us now."

* * *

"Ugh, why didn't we take the road?"

"Because someone said he knew a shortcut through the woods."

"Maybe someone should have thought to pack flashlights."

"Maybe someone should have realized it would be dark in the woods and pack them himself.

"We could have left earlier if someone hadn't taken an extra half hour to make sure her hair was perfect."

Mabel sniffed and decided to let it drop. "At least there is a full moon out tonight."

"Why would you suggest we meet at a warehouse without a full moon?" Mabel glanced absently back at Will as he floated behind them, his question drawing her attention.

"What?" She asked not really paying attention. She was more concerned about following her brother. "Oh, the full moon helps us see in the dark. Cause someone forgot flashlights," she couldn't resist the dig.

"Ohhh." Will was silent a moment. "I thought you had to have a full moon to find it. Because it's a warehouse."

Mabel stopped as that phase clicked in. She turned to look up at Will, even though she could barely see him in the dark. "Will, are you honestly suggesting that we need a full moon to find our warehouse. As in a _werehouse_?"

"Ummmmm…."

Mabel signed and rubber her temples. This is why she didn't work with Will much. "Just shut up and keep up," she turned and followed after be brother.

* * *

Will hid behind the crates of stuff in the warehouse. Dipper was crouched nearby waiting. It wasn't long before the door opened and Pacifica walked in. "Hello? Anyone here?" She glanced around at the dark warehouse, and checked her watch. Shrugging, she turned to leave.

Will watched as Dipper waved his hand and the door slammed shut. "Hey!" Pacifica pushed on the door, but Dipper's magic was stronger. "What's the deal?"

One by one, the main lights in the warehouse clicked on, until the one above a large rolling office chair. There was a moment for dramatic effect before it slowly turned. It revealed Mabel, in her standard magic show leotards sitting posed and legs crossed. "Southeast." She said.

"Gleeful girl twin." Pacifica shot back, and rolled her eyes. "What do you want?"

"I want what is mine," Mabel said darkly. "You would be wise to not come between me and my possessions."

"Mabel, what are you talking about?" Pacifica's eyes widened. "Is this about Gids? Oh, Chica, he's soooo not into you."

"Liar!" spat Mabel as she stood up. "He is mine! He loves me; he just doesn't know it yet!" She touched the jewel on her headband, and it started to glow ominously. "You don't know the power of the Gleeful twins. You don't know the fury that will be unleashed upon you."

"Mabel, you're not on stage; you don't have to be so dramatic. Calm down, I haven't done anything; Gideon doesn't like you like that." Pacifica held her hands in front of herself and backed up.

"Stop lying! He does too love me!" Shoving both hands forcefully forward, she pushed Pacifica with her magic. While Mabel wasn't nearly as strong in magic as Dipper was, it completely took Pacifica by surprise, causing her to slam backward into the door and banging her head.

"Ow!" She cried out and rubbed the back of her head. "How did you do—never mind, its Gravity Falls. Anything is possible in this town." She lunged for the escape bar on the warehouse door, and threw her body weight against it. "Why won't this thing work?!"

"You can't go anywhere. I'm not done with you yet, Southeast." She waved her hand again and caused a pair of scissors to come flying out of a box. "It might not be my knife, but it will do."

"Whoa, now, Mabel." Pacifica was starting to sound scared. "Don't do anything you will regret later."

"It's you who will have things to regret. This is for coming between me and my little southern sweet beau."

Will leaned over to Dipper. "Why did Mistress want us here? She seems to be handling things well on her own," he whispered as he watched Mabel stalk toward Pacifica.

"We are here in case something goes wrong. And shhhh, I don't want to miss this." Dipper whispered back hurriedly.

Pacifica was watching Mabel closely with the floating scissors, and suddenly she lunged into the pile of boxes off to the right, closer to Dipper and Will. She tumbled among them and she knocked over as many as she could. "Move!" Hissed Dipper as he pushed Will over. "Don't let her see you!"

Oh, if he wasn't supposed to be seen, then he wouldn't be seen. With barley a blink, Will turned himself invisible. The twins didn't really like it, but under the circumstances, Will didn't think they would protest. He was right, for although Dipper frowned unhappily, he quickly turned back to the scuffle between his sister and her rival.

"You can't hide from me, Southeast!" Mabel called as she raised her hands above her head. However, Mabel wasn't strong enough in magic to lift all the boxes at the same time.

Dipper mumbled something that sound derogatory about his twin under his breath and touched his own jewel in his boho tie. He raised his own hand and the boxes moved up into the air. He raised them a good ten feet so Pacifica would be double impressed and awe inspired.

Unfortunately, there was no Pacifica groveling on the floor, begging for mercy. Before Dipper and Mabel had time to process where she went, Pacifica made her move. With what sounded like a Viking battle cry, she leaped out of her hiding place in one of the boxes, and dove at Mabel. It completely shocked Mabel and before she had time to react, Pacifica fell upon her.

Mabel screamed in pain as she was slammed into the concrete floor with Pacifica on top of her. "Oh, stop it, Mabel. I'm not trying to hurt you." She grabbed at Mabel's headband jewel and jerked hard. Mabel screamed again as Pacifica ripped out the jeweled headband and some hair in the process. She jumped up and away from Mabel. "It's this thing, right? So how does this work, do I have to break it or what?"

Dipper let the boxes fall. He had been too surprised to react to Pacifica's change in tactics to react originally, but now he was realizing he better act quickly. He stepped out from his hiding place. "Give it back, Pacifica." He said it quietly, but it was full of command.

Pacifica turned around in surprise. "Dipper!" She turned angrily. "You were gonna let your sister kill me!"

"I was not!" Mabel growled, eyes watering from pain. "I was only going to main you."

The warehouse doors slammed open. Everyone turned to see Gideon stride in. "And that, Mabel, is why I won't date ya.

"Gideon!" Mabel said, "What are you doing here?"

"I came to support my best friend. Even if it is a silly nerd thing."

Pacifica beamed. "Aww, Thanks Gids!" She glared at Mabel. "You hear that Mabel. 'Best friend.' And is in 'FRIEND'."

"But Gideon, why won't you date me. What's wrong with me?" Mabel rubbed her red eyes.

"Aww, Mabel, there's nothing wrong with you. Besides the whole trying to hurt my best friend, ignoring my opinions, and using your magic for your own selfish reasons." Gideon paused. "Wow, there are really good reasons for not dating ya. But, hey, we can still be friends."

"Really?" Mabel and Pacifica both asked, one hopefully and one reluctantly.

"You betcha."

"Well, this has all been interesting, but I want my sister's headband back."

"Why should I give it back? You tried to hurt me!" Pacifica crossed her arms. "Besides, it makes it fair. We both have a Journal and a magic jewel. So it's Even Stevens now."

"I have no desire to be fair. I want to win, not play some game." Dipper narrowed his eyes angrily. "You two have no idea what is at stake here."

"Well, that makes me what to give it back even less."

"Alright, Pacifica, here is how this will work. You give my sister back what is hers, and we let you leave unhurt. Or we will fight you for it, and I'm taking it back and your friend's Journal too. So if you want to leave here in one piece you had better give it back."

Gideon clutched his journal to his chest.

Pacifica sighed. She turned to face Gideon. "You hear that, Gids. We had batter give it back. She looked over her shoulder at the twins. "Alright, Dipper you win. If you want it so bad you can have it. But I hope you are a good catch." With that she tossed the headband to Gideon as hard as she could. Gideon adjusted his stance and instead of catching it, hit it with the side of his journal, like he was swinging a baseball bat.

Mabel and Dipper both yelled as Mabel's headband crashed through a window. "My jewel!" Mabel shrieked and, without thinking. jumbled out after it. She forgot in her fear that the warehouse overlooked a cliff. She screamed as she realized her mistake. "DIPPPPPPPEERRRRR!"

"Will, you do something!" Dipper screamed as he jumped out after his sister. He wouldn't trust that demon with saving his sister's life.

Well, that command was pretty open ended, but Will was pretty sure it meant he was so do something useful to the present circumstances. He flew out the window after the twins and the jewel. Turning back to visible, he grasped the head band and flipped over onto his back and reaching out with his magic, slowing Mistress's fall. Master was already grabbing out at her with his magic, but if he stopped her suddenly, the force of impact might break some of her bones. That would make her more moody then she normally was. With his help, both twins landed safely on the ground.

"Thanks, Bro-bro," Mabel said breathlessly to her twins.

"Goodness, Mabel, what were you thinking? Look before you leap next time!" Dipper said slightly shakily. The thought of losing his twin…well, he didn't want to think about it.

Will looked down at the headband he was holding. The band was broken, but the amulet was fine. And that was the important thing. He quickly fixed it and handed it back to her. "Here you go, Mistress."

"Thanks," she said absently and placed it back in her head.

He glared at Will. "You were no help in there, by the way."

"I didn't know what you wanted me to do!"

"I wanted you to be useful. For once." He sighed "I'll punish you later. He turned to Mabel. "So what did this whole thing accomplish? They aren't scared of us, Gideon still won't date you, and now they know about our amulets. If Great Uncle Ford finds out—"

"He won't." Will interjected hastily. If he could appease Master now, it might go better for him later. "Priscilla doesn't know they have the journal, and she hasn't told them about her and Headmaster's history."

"So they are keeping secrets from each other?" Mabel raised an eyebrow. "That's interesting."

"Yes, but what does that mean for us?"

"It means we fight quietly." Mabel said decidedly. "If they are hiding things from their aunt, then they won't mention this to her either. As long as we keep our mouths shut," she shot a look at Will, "Grunkle Ford won't find out. We are going to act like everything is fine between us, and we will fight secretly.

"So we are going to fight like girls," sniffed Master.

"Precisely." She yawned, too spent to rise to the dig. "I'm tired, let's go home."

* * *

 **AN: Surprise! Guess who's not dead! Life got crazy (like it always does), and for lack of a better word, I just forgot about this fic. Thanks for the reviewers, who kindly and sweetly reminded me about this. I didn't how long it had been since my last post,until I checked the time stamp on my updates. That's when I realized how sad and pathetic is was. So even though this is nowhere near perfect, I'm going to go ahead and put it up.**

 **This episode: I have decided I hate writing these really canon episodes. They are some of my favorite episodes in the TV series, and I want to try to follow the flow of the story, while still make it Reverse Falls. This is super hard for me, as I have a tendency to over-analyze _everything_.**

 **Ranger's Recuse: I hope some of you know to what this is a reference too. That was a great show, and I hope it gets rebooted.**

 **Werehouse: I didn't come up with this joke, although I wish I had. I first heard it in the Fullmetal Alchemist anime.**

 **As always, thanks to everyone who is Following and Favorited this story! Please review! All reviews, good and bad, are appreciated and help me to be a better writer (and also remind me to update apparently). I'm not going to make promises on how often I will update, but I do plan on finishing this. It will just take a while. Thanks for your time!**


End file.
